Plastic Fastener Dispensing Hand Tool Having a Novel Anvil Design

ABSTRACT

An improved hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners having a novel anvil design that prevents inadvertent user needle sticks during operation of the hand tool and a needle having a novel casing that further prevents inadvertent user needle sticks during the replacement of the hand tool needle. The hand tool has a gun shaped casing with a barrel portion and a handle portion. The casing has a needle assembly opening at the front of the barrel portion and a trigger slot at the front of the handle portion. The hand tool further has a hollow needle disposed on one end of a needle assembly. The needle assembly is slidably movable back and forth between a retracted position disposed substantially within the casing and an extend position disposed substantially out of the casing through the needle assembly opening. The hand tool further has a trigger that is pivotally mounted within the casing that extends out from the trigger slot. The trigger is capable of moving the needle assembly between the retracted and extended positions. The hand tool further has an anvil. The anvil has a needle guard, a main portion, and a fabric slot. The fabric slot separates the needle guard from the main portion.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims the benefit of U.S. ProvisionalApplication Nos. 61/303,352 filed Feb. 11, 2010, No. 61/373,517 filedAug. 13, 2010, and No. 61/406,602 filed Oct. 26, 2010, all of which areincorporated herein by reference in their entireties.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

A hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners and a method of using thesame. More particularly, the invention relates to a hand tool fordispensing plastic fasteners for an article of clothing having a novelneedle anvil that prevents inadvertent user needle sticks, and a needleused with the hand tool having a novel casing that further preventsinadvertent user needle sticks during the replacement of the needle.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a hand tool for dispensing plasticfasteners, and more particularly to a novel plastic fastener dispensinghand tool that prevents inadvertent user needle sticks by employing aunique needle anvil and a needle having a unique casing.

Plastic fasteners comprising an elongated flexible filament with a firstenlargement at one end of the flexible filament and a second enlargementat the opposite end are well-known in the art and widely used incommerce. Plastic fasteners of this type are commonly used to maintaincertain articles of clothing (i.e. men's dress shirts) in a foldedcondition so as to minimize any wrinkling of the article and so as topresent the article in an otherwise flattering manner. A plasticfastener dispensing hand tool (commonly referred to as a “tagging gun”)having an unexposed articulating needle is used to dispense plasticfasteners to maintain certain articles of clothing in a foldedcondition. Tagging guns having an unexposed articulating needle are wellknown, examples of such tools including those disclosed in U.S. Pat.Nos. 6,267,285, 6,837,413, and 7,331,497.

The design of known tagging guns presents several operating issues.First, the design of known tagging guns leaves a large gap between thewall of the tagging gun that the needle articulates from and the anvilinto which the needle articulates. This large gap allows for theinadvertent entrance of an operator's finger or hand into the gap. Thisis undesirable, as the tagging gun may accidentally be actuated whilethe operator's finger or hand is in the gap, thereby causing the needleto articulate from the tagging gun and into the operator's handresulting in operator injury. Second, the procedure for replacing theneedle of known tagging gun designs further lends to the possibility ofoperator injury. To replace the needle of known tagging guns, theoperator is required to grasp the needle directly. Because the needle ofthe tagging gun is both small and located in a tightly confined areawithin the tagging gun, a high level of dexterity is required to graspthe needle. An operator may find difficulty in grasping the needle, andthere exists a high probability that an operator may accidentally stickhimself or herself with the needle as the operator struggles to removethe needle from the tagging gun. Third, the design of known tagging gunsdoes not permit an operator to precisely see where the needle willpenetrate the article of clothing when the tagging gun is actuated. Thisis problematic, as the operator may secure a plastic fastener to anincorrect location on the article of clothing. The operator would thenbe required to carefully remove the incorrectly placed plastic fastener,taking care not to damage the article of clothing, and then place anadditional plastic fastener in the correct location on the article ofclothing. Such operation wastes both time and resources, and furthermoreincreases the likelihood that the article of clothing may becomedamaged.

Therefore, what is needed is an improved tagging gun that reduces therisk of operator injury while also increasing the accuracy of plasticfastener placement.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

By providing an improved hand tool for dispensing plastic fastenershaving a novel protective needle anvil and a novel protective needlecasing, the present invention overcomes the above-identified safetyproblems associated with known tagging guns. Additionally, the presentinvention greatly improves plastic fastener placement accuracy.

The embodiments of the present invention described below are notintended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise formsdisclosed in the following detailed description. Rather, the embodimentsare chosen and described so that others skilled in the art mayappreciate and understand the principles and practices of the presentinvention.

The present invention relates to a hand tool for dispensing plasticfasteners. The hand tool has a gun shaped casing with a barrel portionand a handle portion. The casing has a needle assembly opening at thefront of the barrel portion and a trigger slot at the front of thehandle portion. The hand tool further has a hollow needle disposed onone end of a needle assembly. The needle assembly is slidably movableback and forth between a retracted position disposed substantiallywithin the casing and an extend position disposed substantially out ofthe casing through the needle assembly opening. The hand tool furtherhas a trigger that is pivotally mounted within the casing that extendsout from the trigger slot. The trigger is capable of moving the needleassembly between the retracted and extended positions. The hand toolfurther has an anvil. The anvil has a needle guard, a main portion, anda fabric slot. The fabric slot separates the needle guard from the mainportion.

The present invention also relates to a method of using a hand tool todispense plastic fasteners to attach a hangtag to an article ofclothing. The method includes the steps of, first, providing a hand toolhaving a gun shaped casing having a barrel portion and a handle portion.The casing has a needle assembly opening at the front of the barrelportion. The hand tool further has a hollow needle, a needle assembly, atrigger and an anvil. The anvil has a needle guard, a main portion, anda fabric slot. The fabric slot separates the needle guard from the mainportion. Next, the method includes the step of inserting a portion of anarticle of clothing into the fabric slot. Then, the trigger is depressedto advance the needle assembly forward until the hollow needle piercesthe article inserted into the fabric slot. The trigger is then furtherdepressed to dispense a plastic fastener through the hollow needle intothe article. The method concludes by releasing the trigger to retractthe needle assembly.

The present invention also relates to a method of replacing a wornneedle in a hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners. The methodincludes the steps of, first, providing a hand tool having a gun shapedcasing having a barrel portion and a handle portion. The casing has aneedle assembly opening at the front of the barrel portion. The handtool further has a hollow needle, a needle assembly, a trigger and ananvil. The anvil has a needle guard, a main portion, and a fabric slotseparating the needle guard from the main portion. The method thenincludes the step of providing a replacement needle having a protectiveneedle casing. The replacement needle has a tip, a stem, and a baseportion. The needle casing has a first end, a second end, and a tubularbody. The tip and the stem of the replacement needle are inserted intothe first end of the casing. Next, the method includes the step ofinserting the second end of the needle casing into the needle guard ofthe anvil. Then, the trigger is depressed to advance the needle assemblyforward until the tip and stem of the hollow needle are inserted intothe second end of the needle casing. Next the method includes the stepof removing the needle casing from the needle guard of the anvil andreleasing the trigger. Then, the first end of the needle casing isinserted into the needle guard of the anvil. Next, the trigger isdepressed to advance the needle assembly forward until the replacementneedle is disposed with the needle assembly. The method concludes byremoving the needle casing from the needle guard and releasing thetrigger.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent to those skilled in the art from the following detaileddescription. It is to be understood, however, that the detaileddescription of the various embodiments and specific examples, whileindicating preferred and other embodiments of the present invention, aregiven by way of illustration and not limitation. Many changes andmodifications within the scope of the present invention may be madewithout departing from the spirit thereof, and the invention includesall such modifications.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

These, as well as other objects and advantages of this invention, willbe more completely understood and appreciated by referring to thefollowing more detailed description of the presently preferred exemplaryembodiments of the invention in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of the left side of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the rear left side of the presentinvention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the front left side of the presentinvention with the left side of the casing of the invention shown inwire frame;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the front left side of a replacementneedle and a needle casing used with the hand tool of the presentinvention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the rear left side of the presentinvention showing the process of using the needle casing to remove aworn needle from the hand tool.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The apparatuses and methods disclosed in this document are described indetail by way of examples and with reference to the figures. Unlessotherwise specified, like numbers in the figures indicate references tothe same, similar, or corresponding elements throughout the figures. Itwill be appreciated that modifications to disclosed and describedexamples, arrangements, configurations, components, elements,apparatuses, methods, materials, etc. can be made and may be desired fora specific application. In this disclosure, any identification ofspecific shapes, materials, techniques, arrangements, etc. are eitherrelated to a specific example presented or are merely a generaldescription of such a shape, material, technique, arrangement, etc.Identifications of specific details or examples are not intended to be,and should not be, construed as mandatory or limiting unlessspecifically designated as such.

Referring now to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3 a plastic fastener dispensing handtool 1 is shown. It should be noted that portions of the hand tool 1 notpertinent to the present invention are neither shown nor described indetail herein.

The hand tool 1 has a gun shaped casing 10. The casing 10 has a barrelportion 15 and a handle portion 20. The casing 10 is comprised of aright half 30 and a left half 35. The halves 30, 35 jointly define aneedle assembly opening 16 located near the front of the barrel portion15, and a trigger slot 21 located at the front of the handle portion 20.A plurality of four assembly posts 500, 501, 502, 503 are formed intothe right half 30. The first assembly post 500 is located near the frontof the barrel portion 15, the second assembly post 501 is located nearthe front of the needle assembly opening 16, the third assembly post 502is located near the back of the barrel portion 15, and the fourthassembly post 503 is located near the bottom of the handle portion 20. Aplurality of four assembly holes 505, 506, 507, 508 are formed on theleft half 35. The four assembly holes 505, 506, 507, 508 are positionedto line up with the four assembly posts 500, 501, 502, 503 when the lefthalf 35 and the right half 30 of the casing 10 are brought together. Aplurality of four assembly screws 515, 516, 517, 518 are driven throughthe assembly holes 505, 506, 507, 508 and into the assembly posts 500,501, 502, 503 to secure the left half 35 and the right half 30 of thecasing 10 together.

A trigger 40 is pivotally attached to the casing 10. The trigger 40extends though the trigger slot 21. A first trigger arm 41 extends fromthe bottom of the trigger 40. One end of the first trigger arm 41 ispivotally connected to the bottom of the trigger 40, while the other endof the first trigger arm 41 is pivotally anchored in the middle of thehandle portion 20 at an anchor point 23. A first coil spring 46 iscoiled around the first trigger arm 41. The first coil spring 46 extendsfrom the bottom of the trigger 40 to the anchor point 23. A secondtrigger arm 42 connects the first trigger arm 41 to a needle assemblyarm 43. One end of the second trigger arm 42 is pivotally anchored tothe first anchor point 23, while the other end of the second trigger arm42 is pivotally connected to the needle assembly arm 43.

The hand tool 1 further has an anvil 45 mounted at the front of thebarrel portion 15. The anvil 45 has a needle guard 50 and a main portion55. The needle guard 50 is connected to the main portion 55 by an anvilarm 53 that extends along the right side of both the needle guard 50 andthe main portion 55. The needle guard 50 has a static portion 51 and adynamic portion 56. The static portion 51 has a needle access door 57that conceals a needle guard tip 94. The static portion 51 issubstantially rectangular shaped, and is oriented with the needle accessdoor 57 and the needle guard tip 94 facing away from the barrel portion15. The dynamic portion 56 has a face 92 and a ramp 91. Likewise, thestatic portion 51 has a face 96 and a ramp 97. The dynamic portion 56 ismounted within the static portion 51 with the face 92 of the dynamicportion 56 facing the front of the barrel portion 15. The dynamicportion 56 is biased outwardly away from the static portion 51 by asecond coil spring 93 (not shown). However, it is contemplated that thesecond coil spring 93 may be replaced by a leaf spring, resilientplastic tab, or any other appropriate biasing means. When the dynamicportion 56 is fully biased away from the static portion 51, the face 92of the dynamic portion 56 is spaced a very short distance away from theend of main portion 55. With the dynamic portion 56 mounted within thestatic portion 51, the needle guard 50 has a circular passage 98 thatextends through the needle guard tip 94 and to the face 92 of thedynamic portion 56. A needle sight channel 99 extends outwardly from theleft of the circular passage 98 to the left wall of the needle guard 50.The needle sight channel 99 provides visual access to the circularpassage 98.

A fabric slot 52 separates the needle guard 50 from the main portion 55.The fabric slot 52 extends substantially perpendicular to the length ofthe anvil 45, and except for the anvil arm 53, extends the entire widthof the anvil 45. The main portion 55 is provided with a limiter wall 410that extends upwardly from the front of the main portion 55, and a firstanvil tab 221 that extends downwardly from the front of the main portion55. The first anvil tab 221 is substantially square shaped and has aU-shaped channel 222. A second anvil tab 225 is provided toward the rearof the main portion 55. The second anvil tab 225 consists of a U-shapedchannel 226 integrally formed into the right wall of the main portion55.

The first anvil tab 221 and the second anvil tab 225 cooperate with thefirst assembly post 500 and the second assembly post 501 to secure theanvil 45 to the front of the barrel portion 15. The U-shaped channel 222of the first anvil tab 221 engages the first assembly post 500, whilethe U-shaped channel 226 of the second anvil tab 225 engages the secondassembly post 501. As the assembly screws 505, 506, 507, 508 are driventhrough the assembly holes and into the assembly posts 500, 501, 502,503 to secure the right half 30 and the left half 35 of the casing 10together, the right half 30 and the left half 35 of the casing 10 beginto exert force onto the first and second anvil tabs 221, 225 that extendbetween the right half 30 and the left half 35 of the casing 10. Oncethe assembly screws 505, 506, 507, 508 are fully tightened and the righthalf 30 and the left half 35 of the casing 10 are tightly securedtogether, the force created by the right half 30 and the left half 35 ofthe casing 10 on the first and second anvil tabs 221, 225 furtherassists the first and second anvil tab U-shaped channels 222, 226 insecuring the anvil 45 to the front of the barrel portion 15 of the handtool 1.

The hand tool 1 further has a hollow needle 75. The needle 75 has a tip80, a stem portion 85, and a base portion 90. The base portion 90 ismounted inside a needle slide 95. A limiter 220 extends from the topfront edge of the needle slide 95. The base portion 90 is secured to theneedle slide 95 by a needle lock 100. The needle lock 100 has a threadedportion 101 (not shown) and a slotted end 102. The threaded portion 101is driven into a needle lock opening 103. The needle lock opening 103intersects part of the base portion 90 when the needle 75 is mountedinside the needle slide 95. The base portion 90 has a needle lockchannel 104 (not shown) that lines up with the needle lock opening 103when the needle 75 is mounted to the needle slide 95. The needle lockchannel 104 receives the needle lock 100 when the needle lock 100 iscompletely driven into the needle lock opening 103, thereby locking thehollow needle 75 to the needle slide 95.

A needle slide cover 110 is attached to the needle slide 95. The needleassembly arm 43 extends downwardly from the bottom of the needle slidecover 110. Together, the needle slide 95 and the needle slide cover 110form a needle assembly 105. When the needle slide 95 and the needleslide cover 110 are secured to one another to form the needle assembly105, the needle slide cover 110 constitutes a left needle assembly 108,while the needle slide 95 constitutes a right needle assembly 109. Afirst ridge 106 extends lengthwise along the bottom edge of the leftneedle assembly 108, and a second ridge 107 (not shown) extendslengthwise along the bottom edge of the right needle assembly 109. Afirst channel 115 is formed on the interior of the barrel portion 15 ofthe left half 35. A second channel 120 is formed on the interior of thebarrel portion 15 of the right half 30. The first and second channels115, 120 extend substantially parallel from the front to the rear of thebarrel portion 15. The first and second channels 115, 120 cooperate withthe first and second ridges 106, 107 to slidably secure the needleassembly 105 within the barrel portion 15 and limit the needle assembly105 to movement lengthwise within the barrel portion 15.

Referring now to FIG. 4, a replacement needle 305 is shown inserted intoa needle casing 300. The needle casing 300 has a substantiallycylindrical shaped body 310 with a first opening 315 at a first end 316of the body 310, and a second opening 320 at a second end 321 of thebody 310. The cylindrical shaped body 310 has a diameter slightly largerthan that of the circular passage 98 of the needle guard 50. Theopenings 315, 320 have a diameter slightly smaller than that of thereplacement needle 305. Therefore, an interference fit is createdbetween the first opening 315 and the replacement needle 305 when thereplacement needle 305 is fully inserted into the first opening 315.This interference fit causes the replacement needle 305 to be retainedwithin the first opening 315.

A limiting ridge 325 is provided on the middle of the protective casing300. The limiting ridge 325 facilitates the replacement of the hand tool1 needle 75 while also assisting in the manipulation of the needlecasing 300 by an operator of the hand tool 1. The replacement needle 305has a tip 340 (not shown) a stem portion 350 and a base portion 360. Thebase portion 360 has a needle lock channel 380.

With reference now directed back to FIGS. 1, 2, and 3, it will beexplained how the hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners 1 is usedto maintain an article of clothing in a predetermined arrangement, suchas a folded condition. For the purposes of this discussion, it will beassumed that the article to be maintained in a particular condition orarrangement is a men's dress shirt (not shown). It should be noted thatoperations of the hand tool not pertinent to the present invention arenot described in detail herein.

To begin the operation, the operator first inserts a portion of theshirt into the fabric slot 52. Both the ramp 97 of the static portion 51and the ramp 91 of the dynamic portion 56 help to guide the shirt intothe fabric slot 52. As described above, when the dynamic portion 56 isfully biased away from the static portion 51, the face 92 of the dynamicportion 56 is spaced a very short distance away from the end of the mainportion 55. This design prevents the fingers or hands of an operatorfrom inadvertently entering into the space of the fabric slot 52.However, when the dynamic portion 56 is fully biased away from thestatic portion 51, the width of the fabric slot 52 will be less thanthat of the thickness of the men's dress shirt. Therefore, as the shirtis inserted into the fabric slot 52, the shirt will come into contactwith the ramp 91 and the face 58 of the dynamic portion 56, therebycausing the dynamic portion 56 to retract into the static portion 51. Itshould be noted that the dynamic portion 56 does not fully retract intothe static portion 51 as soon as the dress shirt is inserted into thefabric slot 52. Rather, the dynamic portion 56 will only retractwhatever amount is necessary to accommodate the dress shirt in thefabric slot 52. Therefore, the face 92 of the dynamic portion 56 willalways remain in contact with the dress shirt when the dress shirt ispositioned in the fabric slot 52. This further prevents the fingers orhands of an operator from inadvertently entering into the fabric slot 52and prevents operator injury.

While the design of the anvil 45 can advantageously protect againstworker injury, the design can also limit the types of clothes that canbe used with the hand tool 1. As stated above, the dynamic portion 56retracts into the static portion 51 when a article of clothing isinserted into the fabric slot 52. However, the dimensions of the staticportion 51 limit the distance that the dynamic portion 56 can retract.The dynamic portion 56 will be unable to retract any further into thestatic portion once the face 92 of the dynamic portion 56 is level withthe face 96 of the static portion 51. The maximum thickness of anarticle of clothing that can be used with the hand tool 1 is dictated bythe width of the fabric slot 52 with the dynamic portion 56 fullretracted into the static portion 51. If the thickness of the article ofclothing exceeds the width of the fabric slot 52 with the dynamicportion fully retracted, the hand tool 1 will be unable to secure aplastic fastener through the article of clothing, as the article ofclothing will not be able to fit into the fabric slot 52. Clothing madeout of a thicker material (i.e. denim jeans) will be considerablethicker than clothing made out of a thinner material (i.e. cottont-shirt). Therefore, it is contemplated that the hand tool 1 may beprovided with a plurality of anvils 45, with each anvil 45 being adaptedfor use with fabrics having a specified thickness range.

To exchange the anvil 45, the operator first loosens, but does notremove, the four assembly screws 515, 516, 517 518. This allows the lefthalf 35 and the right half 30 of the casing 10 to slightly be pulledapart from one another. As noted above, the right half 30 and the lefthalf 35 of the casing 10 exert a force on the first and second anviltabs 221, 225 that extend between the right half 30 and the left 35 ofthe casing 10 to assist in securing the anvil 45 to the front of thebarrel portion 15. Loosening the assembly screws 515, 516, 517, 518removes this force and allows the anvil 45 to be removed from the handtool 1. With the assembly screws loosened 506, 507, 508, 509, theoperator may now remove the anvil 45 from the hand tool 1. To installthe new anvil 45, the operator must first align the first and secondanvil tabs 221, 225 with the first and second assembly posts 500, 501.The operator then lowers the anvil 45 into the front of the barrelportion 15 so that the U-shaped channel 222 of the first anvil tab 221engages the first assembly post 500, while the U-shaped channel 226 ofthe second tab 225 engages the second assembly post 501. The operatorcompletes the anvil exchange process by tightening the assembly screws516, 517, 518, 519, thereby firmly securing the anvil 45 to the handtool 1 while also securing the right half 30 and the left half 35 of thecasing 10 back together.

Focusing again on the process of using the hand tool 1 to dispense aplastic fastener, with the dress shirt now inserted into the fabric slot52, the operator next depresses the trigger 40 to actuate the hand tool1, thereby causing the trigger 40 to retract into the trigger slot 21.The retraction of the trigger 40 into the trigger slot 21 causes thefirst trigger arm 41 to rotate clockwise about the anchor 23, therebycausing the second trigger arm 42 to also rotate clockwise about theanchor 23. The rotation of the second trigger arm 42 causes the needleassembly arm 43 to pivot away from the back of the handle portion 20 andtoward the front of the barrel portion 15. Because the needle assemblyarm 43 is connected to the needle assembly 105, this movement of theneedle assembly arm 43 causes the needle assembly 105 to move toward thefront of the barrel portion 15. The needle assembly 105 continues tomove forward until the limiter 220 on the needle slide 95 makes contactwith the limiter wall 410 of the anvil 45, thereby preventing the needleassembly 105 from further advancing to the front of the barrel portion15. As the needle assembly 105 is advanced to the front of the barrelportion 15, the hollow needle 75 mounted to the needle assembly 105 islikewise advanced. As the hollow needle 75 is advanced, the tip 80pierces the dress shirt inserted into the fabric slot 52 and travelsthrough the circular passage 98 towards the needle guard tip 94. Oncethe limiter 220 makes contact with the limiter wall 410, the tip 80 isnearly contiguous with the needle access door 57. Further depression ofthe trigger 40 by the operator causes a plastic fastener to be dispensedthrough the sharpened tip 80 of the hollow needle 75, thereby securingthe shirt together such as to maintain the dress shirt in a folded orother predetermined condition.

It should be noted that the needle sight channel 99 aids in the accurateplacement of plastic fasteners. The needle sight channel 99 providesvisual access to the circular passage 98. The circular passage 98 islocated on the same plane as that traveled by the needle 75 when thehand tool 1 is actuated. With the shirt inserted into the fabric slot52, the operator can easily see both the needle 75 and, because of theneedle sight channel 99, the circular passage 98. Because the needle 75travels into the circular passage 98, and because the needle sightchannel 99 provides visual access to the circular passage 98, theoperator can predict with a high level of accuracy where the needle 75will pierce the article of clothing once the hand tool 1 is actuated.Therefore, the operator will be able to accurately determine where thehand tool 1 will secure the plastic fastener on the article of clothing.

Focusing again on the operation of the hand tool 1, once the plasticfastener is dispensed from the hand tool 1, the operator can release thetrigger 40. The needle assembly 95 is under a rearward bias that causesthe needle assembly 95 to retreat toward the back of the barrel portion15 once the trigger is released 21. The movement of the needle assembly95 to the rear of the barrel portion 15 will also cause the trigger 40to extend from the trigger slot 21. As the needle assembly 95 returns tothe back of the barrel portion 15, the needle 75 likewise is retractedaway from the needle access door 57 and out of the circular passage 98and the dress shirt inserted into the fabric slot 52. With the needle 75and needle assembly 95 retracted, the operator can then remove the dressshirt from the fabric slot 52 and reposition the dress shirt back intothe fabric slot 52 to secure an additional plastic fastener at adifferent location on the shirt, or insert a new shirt into the fabricslot 52.

Now directing attention towards FIGS. 4 and 5, it will now be explainedhow the needle casing 300 is used to replace a worn needle with a newneedle. FIG. 4 depicts how the replacement needle 305 for the hand tool1 is shipped. The replacement needle 305 is shipped with the tip 340 andpart of the stem portion 350 of the needle 305 firmly inserted into thefirst opening 315 of the needle casing 300. Shipping the replacementneedle 305 with the casing 300 already installed serves two purposes.First, it protects any person who comes in contact with the replacementneedle 305 during the shipment or storage of the replacement needle 305from accidental needle sticks. Second, it protects the tip 340 of thereplacement needle 305 from becoming dulled, and further protects thestem 350 of the needle 305 from bending or breaking.

To begin the replacement of a worn needle, the operator first slides theneedle access door 57 open to reveal the needle guard tip 94 and thecircular passage 98. Next, the operator inserts the second end 321 ofthe needle casing 300 into the guard tip 94 and into the circularpassage 98. The operator then pushes the needle casing 300 into theneedle guard 50 toward the face 92 of the dynamic portion 56 until thelimiting ridge 325 makes contact with the tip 94 of the needle guard 50,thus preventing the needle casing 300 from further being inserted intothe circular passage 98. As described above, the diameter of thecylindrical shaped body 310 of the needle casing 300 is slightly largerthan that of the circular passage 98 of the needle guard 50. Therefore,once the needle casing 300 has been inserted and pushed into the tip 94of the needle guard 50, the operator may release the needle casing 300and the needle casing 300 will remain disposed within the needle guard50 as a result of the interference fit created between the body 310 ofthe needle casing 300 and the circular passage 98. Next, to continuewith the replacement of the worn needle, the operator removes the needlelock 100 from the needle lock opening 103 by inserting a tool into theslotted end 102 of the needle lock and rotating the needle lock 100counterclockwise. Once the needle lock 100 has been removed from theneedle lock opening 103, the base portion 90 is no longer secured withinthe needle slide 95, and thus the hollow needle 75 is free to be removedfrom the hand tool 1. With the limiting ridge in contact with the tip 94of the needle guard 50, the tip 80 of the hollow needle 75 is partiallyinserted into the second opening 320 of the needle casing 300. However,because the stem portion 85 of the needle 75 is not yet inserted intothe second opening 320, an interference fit between the needle 75 andthe needle casing 300 has not yet been established, and thus the needlecasing 300 cannot yet be used to remove the needle 75 from the hand tool1.

To create the necessary interference fit, the operator must first graspthe needle casing 300 and push the needle casing 300 into the needleguard 50 and toward the face 92 of the dynamic portion 56 to ensure thatthe limiting ridge 325 remains in firm contact with the tip 94 of theneedle guard 50. Although, as described above, the needle casing 300 isheld in place in the circular passage 98 of the needle guard 50 as aresult of the interference fit between the needle casing 300 and thecircular passage 98, the operator must still provide additional supportto the needle casing 300 during this step of the needle replacementprocess. With the limiting ridge 325 pressed firmly against the tip 94of the needle guard 50, the operator can then depress the trigger 40. Asexplained above, depression of the trigger 40 causes the needle assembly105 to move toward the front of the barrel portion 15. This movement ofthe needle assembly 105 causes the tip 80 of the needle 75 to be forcedfurther into the second opening 320 such that the stem 85 is also forcedinto the second opening 320 thereby creating the desired interferencefit between the stem 85 of the needle 75 and the needle casing 300. Withthe needle 75 now securely held in the second opening 320 of the needlecasing 300, the operator can remove the second end 321 of the body 310from the circular passage 98 of the needle guard 50 to remove the needle75 from the hand tool 1.

Next, the operator flips the casing 300 to orient the first end 316 ofthe needle casing 300 toward the tip 94 of the needle guard 50. Similarto the process described above with regard to the second end 321, theoperator inserts the first end 316 of the needle casing 300 into the tip94 of the needle guard 50 and pushes the needle casing 300 toward theface 92 of the dynamic portion 56 until the limiting ridge 325 makescontact with the tip 94 of the needle guard 50. This positions the base360 of the replacement needle 305 directly in front of the needle slide95. However, with the trigger 40 no longer depressed, the needle slide95 will be spaced apart from the base 360 of the replacement needle 305.Therefore, the operator must depress the trigger 40 to cause the needleassembly 105 to move forward to bring the needle slide 95 in contactwith the base 360 of the replacement needle 305. With the trigger 40still depressed and the base 360 of the replacement needle 305 restingwithin the needle slide 95, the operator can place the needle lock 100back into the needle lock opening 103 by inserting a tool into theslotted end 102 of the needle lock 100 and rotating the needle lock 100clockwise. Once the needle lock 100 is securely disposed within theneedle lock opening 103, the base 360 of the replacement needle 305 issecured to the hand tool 1. However, the force of the interference fitbetween the stem 350 of the replacement needle 305 and the first opening315 of the needle casing 300 is stronger than the force of the rearwardbias of the needle assembly 105. Therefore, the operator must remove theneedle casing 300 from the circular passage 98 of the anvil 45 to freethe replacement needle 305 from the needle casing 300. The needleassembly 105 is then free to return to the rear of the barrel portion 15of the casing 10 once the needle casing 300 has been removed. Theoperator can then close the needle access door 57, and the hand tool 1is ready for further use with the replacement needle 305 installed

It will thus be seen that a novel plastic fastener dispensing hand toolhas been described. While the invention has been described in connectionwith what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferredembodiment, it will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the artthat the invention is not to be limited to the disclosed embodiment, andthat many modifications and equivalent arrangements may be made thereofwithin the scope of the invention, which scope is to be accorded thebroadest interpretation of the appended claims so as to encompass allequivalent structures and products.

1. A hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners, comprising: a gunshaped casing, said casing having a barrel portion, and a handleportion, said casing further having a needle assembly opening at thefront of the barrel portion and a trigger slot on the front of saidhandle portion; a hollow needle; a needle assembly, said needle assemblybeing slidably movable back and forth between a retracted positiondisposed substantially within said casing and an extended positiondisposed substantially out of said casing through said needle assemblyopening, said hollow needle disposed on one end of said needle assembly,a trigger, said trigger being pivotally mounted within said casing andextending out from said trigger slot, said trigger being capable ofmoving said needle assembly between the retracted and extendedpositions; and an anvil, said anvil having a needle guard, a mainportion, and a fabric slot, said fabric slot separating said needleguard from said main portion.
 2. The hand tool for dispensing plasticfasteners as defined in claim 1, wherein said hand tool dispensesplastic fasteners to maintain articles of clothing in a foldedcondition.
 3. The hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners as definedin claim 1, wherein said needle guard has a needle access door.
 4. Thehand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners a defined in claim 1, whereinsaid needle guard has a static portion and a dynamic portion, saiddynamic portion being mounted within, and biased away from, said staticportion.
 5. The hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners as defined inclaim 4, wherein said dynamic portion is biased by a coil spring.
 6. Thehand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners as defined in claim 4,wherein said dynamic portion is biased by a leaf spring.
 7. The handtool for dispensing plastic fasteners as defined in claim 4, whereinsaid dynamic portion is biased by a resilient plastic tab.
 8. The handtool for dispensing plastic fasteners as defined in claim 4, whereinsaid static portion and said dynamic portion each have a ramp forguiding fabric into said fabric slot.
 9. The hand tool for dispensingplastic fasteners as defined in claim 1, wherein said hollow needle isselectably lockable to said needle assembly by a needle lock.
 10. Thehand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners as defined in claim 1,wherein said needle guard has a circular passage and a needle sightchannel, said needle sight channel providing visual access to saidcircular passage.
 11. The hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners asdefined in claim 1, wherein said hollow needle is provided with a needlecasing.
 12. The hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners as defined inclaim 11, wherein said needle casing can be used to remove a worn needlefrom the hand tool.
 13. The hand tool for dispensing plastic fastenersas defined in claim 11, wherein said needle casing can be used toinstall a replacement needle into the hand tool.
 14. The hand tool fordispensing plastic fasteners as defined in claim 11, wherein said needlecasing protects said needle from becoming damaged.
 15. The hand tool fordispensing plastic fasteners as defined in claim 1, wherein said anvilis interchangeable with a plurality of separate anvils, each separateanvil having a different configuration.
 16. A method for using a handtool for dispensing plastic fasteners to attach a hangtag to an articlecomprising the steps of: providing a hand tool having a gun shapedcasing having a barrel portion, and a handle portion, said casing havinga needle assembly opening at the front of the barrel portion, a hollowneedle, a needle assembly, a trigger and an anvil, said anvil having aneedle guard, a main portion, and a fabric slot, said fabric slotseparating said needle guard from said main portion; inserting a portionof an article of clothing into said fabric slot; depressing said triggerto advance said needle assembly forward until said hollow needle piercessaid article inserted into said fabric slot; continuing to furtherdepress said trigger to dispense a plastic fastener through said hollowneedle to maintain said article in a folded condition; and releasingsaid trigger to retract said needle assembly.
 17. A method for replacinga needle of a hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners comprising thesteps of: providing a hand tool having a gun shaped casing having abarrel portion, and a handle portion, said casing having a needleassembly opening at the front of the barrel portion, a hollow needle,said needle having a tip, a stem and a base portion, a needle assembly,a trigger, and an anvil, said anvil having needle guard, a main portion,and a fabric slot, said fabric slot separating said needle guard fromsaid main portion; providing a replacement needle having a protectiveneedle casing, said replacement needle having a tip, a stem, and a baseportion, said protective needle casing having a first end, a second end,and a tubular body, said tip of said stem of said replacement needlebeing inserted into said first end of said protective needle casing;inserting said second end of said protective needle casing into saidneedle guard of said anvil; depressing said trigger to advance saidneedle assembly forward until said tip and said stem of said hollowneedle is inserted into said second end; removing said protective needlecasing from said finger guide portion of said anvil; and releasing saidtrigger.
 18. The method for replacing a needle of a hand tool fordispensing plastic fasteners as recited in claim 16 further comprisingthe steps of: inserting said first end of said protective needle casinginto said needle guard of said anvil; depressing said trigger to advancesaid needle assembly forward until said base of said replacement needleis disposed within said needle assembly; removing said protective needlecasing from said needle guard of said anvil; and releasing said trigger.19. The method for replacing a needle of a hand tool for dispensingplastic fasteners as recited in claims 17 and 18 wherein said hand toolfurther has a needle lock.
 20. The method for replacing a needle of ahand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners as recited in claim 19further having the step of unlocking said needle lock after the step ofinserting said second end of said protective needle casing into saidfinger guide portion of said anvil.
 21. The method for replacing aneedle of a hand tool for dispensing plastic fasteners as recited inclaim 19 further having the step of locking said needle lock after thestep depressing said trigger to advance said needle assembly forwarduntil said base of said replacement needle is disposed within saidneedle assembly.